Control means for fanfolding mechanism



June 7, 1966 A. F. RODRHGUES CONTROL MEANS FOR FANFOLDING MECHANISM Original Filed July 2, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. ANTHONY E /PODR/GUES TTOP/VEVS A. F. RODRIGUES 3,254,819

CONTROL MEANS FOR FANFOLDING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

TTOR/VEVS ANTHONY E RODR/GUES June 7, 1966 Original Filed July 2, 1962 N El June 7, 1966 Original Filed July 2, 1962 A. F. RODRIGUES CONTROL MEANS FOR FANFOLDING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 N i A 0 5 9 INVENTOR. L ANTHONY F RODR/GUES A T TORNEVS United States Patent O 3,254,819 CONTROL MEANS FOR FANFOLDING MECHANISM Anthony F. Rodrigues, Los Gatos, Calif., .assignor to Cycle Equipment Company, Los Gatos, Calif., a corporation of Nevada Original application .Iuly 2, 1962, Ser. No. 206,942, now

Patent No. 3,132,991, dated May 11, 1965. Divided and this application Aug. 25, 1964, Ser. No. 392,001

2 Claims. (Cl. 226-44) This application is a division of my co-pending appliation Serial No. 206,942, filed July 2, 1962, for Fan Folding Mechanism, now Patent No. 3,182,991.

The present invention relates to tape receiving means or fanfolding mechanisms for tape such as perforated paper tape, for example, and is concerned more particularly with improved control means therefor.

It is an object of the invention to provide tape-receiving means having a tape-responsive control arm movable in either direction from its normal inactive position to effect a control of the machine, and associated therewith control means producing aninvariable control in the machine irrespective of the direction of .the movement of the control arm.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tape control arm which can be set to the desired adjusted position on its supporting axis in accordance with the desired position of feed of the tape to the control arm.

Theabove and other objects of the invention are attained as set forth in the accompanying specification, taken in connection with the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. l is a plan View of a fanfolding machine;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the fanfolding machine, with certain parts shown in dotted lines;

FIG. 3 is a detail selectional view taken as indicated by the line 3 3 in FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken as indicated by the line 4-4 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing other operating positions of the linkage means.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the fanfolding machine includes a casting comprising the body or frame of .the machine and the housing, and on this housing there is mounted a pair of folding drums 21 and 22, described in detail hereinafter, which operate with respect to paper tape 23 fed over a control arm 24 to fanfold this tape and to deliver it to a receiving surface 26 which forms part of the removable yor detachable tray 2S. The bottom wall 26 of this tray is apertured or slotted to admit two conveyor belts 27 which are carried by respective sets of sheaves 29 which are suitably driven in a direction indicated by the arrow to move the fanfolded tape from the region of the folding drums.

The respective folding drums 21 and 22 are fully described in said patent and each drum includes a folding blade 52 which is operated either as a folding blade or a tucking blade on alternating revolutions of the drum as fully described in said patent. The following blade 52, for example, as shown in FIG, 1, cooperates with a folding wall 41 having a roughened surface 42. The drums have intermeshing gears 46, one of which is driven by a pinion 47 from the motor shaft 48 as described in said patent.

The tape receiving means of the instant invention is a slave machine, and operates to fold the tape only when tape is available and stops operation when tape is not available. In order to receive the tape advantageously from any direction, control arm 24 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 5) comprises a rod 106 carrying an upright shaft 107 on whicha roller 108 is mounted in conjunction with a spring-type tape retainer 109. -The rod 106 is releasably received in a sleeve 111 and has its inner end notched to embrace shaft 113. 112 and may be released so that the shaft 106 is positioned in any desired angular position on the shaft 113 pivoted in the frame 20.

At its lower end -the shaft 113 (FIGS. l, 4 and 5) carries a control segment or lever 117 having two links 118 pivoted about respective axes 119 which are symmetrically arranged with respect to the shaft 113. Each of the levers 118 has a slot 121 at its other end which is engaged with a pin 122 at the end of a switch control lever 123 pivoted at 124. The opposite end of the lever 123 is urged counterclockwise by a spring 126 and is slotted at 127 to engage the control arm 128 of a conventional two-position set switch 129 for the motor 48. Thus, in either direction of the movement of the control arm 24, as seen, for example, in FIG. 5, the rocking of the segment lever 117 in either direction will produce the same invariable movement of the switch lever 123 so that the power control lever 123 enables the source of power invariably irrespective of the -direction of movement of the control arm 24. In this way the tape can be placed over the roller 108 extending either from the top side or the bottom side of the view. In this way, when the tape becomes taut and the fanfolding drums continue to feed the tape, the control arm 24 will be moved to position the switch 129 in its olf position. When tape is available and the spring 126 serves to return the arm 24 to its central position, the switch will again be flipped from its off position to its on position.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is apparent that the invention is capable of variation and modification from the forms shown so that its scope should be limited only by the proper scope of the claims appeneded hereto.

I claim:

1. In a tape feeding mechanism, a source of power, means for enabling said source of power including a control member movable in a fixed or invariable fashion to effect said control, a tape-sensitive control arm for controlling said member mounted for movement in either of two directions from a rest position, and a pair of links inter-connecting said arm and said member to operate sai-d member invariably in said one fashion irrespective of movement of said control arm from its rest position in either direction under the inuence of the tape, said links each having a lost motion connection with said member and a spaced apart operation connection with said arm.

2. In a tape feed mechanism, a source of power, means for enabling said source `of power including a control member movable in a fixed fashion to effect said control, a tape sensitive control arm for controlling said member mounted for movement in either of two directions from a rest position, and linkage means interconnecting said arm and said member to operate said member invariably in said one fashion irrespective of movement of said control arm from its rest position in either direction under the influence of the tape, said linkage means includes a lever member pivoted about an axis, a pair of links pivotally connected to said lever symmetrically with respect to said axis, and respective coinciding lost motion connections between said links and said control member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,208,946 7/1940 Newman 226--43 2,433,180 12/1947 White.

M. HENSON WOOD, IR., Primary Examiner.

ROBERT B. REEVES, Examiner.

R. A. SCHACHER, Assistant Examiner.

Sleeve 111 is clamped by a nut 

1. IN A TAPE FEEDING MECHANISM, A SOURCE OF POWER, MEANS FOR ENABLING SAID SOURCE OF POWER INCLUDING A CONTROL MEMBER MOVABLE IN A FIXED OR INVARIABLE FASHION TO EFFECT SAID CONTROL, A TAPE-SENSITIVE CONTROL ARM FOR CONTROLLING SAID MEMBER MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT IN EITHER OF TWO DIRECTIONS FROM A REST-POSITION, AND A PAIR OF LINKS INTERCONNECTING SAID ARM AND SAID MEMBER TO OPERATE SAID MEMBER INVARIABLY IN SAID ONE FASHION IRRESPECTIVE OF MOVEMENT OF SAID CONTROL ARM FROM ITS REST POSITION IN EITHER DIRECTION UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE TAPE, SAID LINKS EACH HAVING A LOST MOTION CONNECTION WITH SAID MEMBER AND A SPACED APART OPERATION CONNECTION EITH SAID ARM. 